A Weekend with Dad
by gafreak
Summary: Addison never aborted Mark's baby, but she did move to LA after the baby was born. She brings Ella to Seattle to see Mark every few months. Maddison, Slexie, Addex  Bad description, story is better.
1. Chapter 1

"Ella, are you dressed yet? I still need to do your hair and we need to leave soon," Addison called up the stairs to her six-year-old daughter. "If you don't hurry up, you won't get to see daddy or your little sister."

Addison went to Seattle to get a divorce from Derek after finding out she was pregnant with Mark's baby and moved to Los Angeles when her daughter was six-months-old. Mark and Addison had worked out that Addison would bring Ella to Seattle every few months and Mark would come to LA whenever he could. They were going to be spending Father's Day weekend in Seattle.

"I'm dressed Mommy. Can you braid my hair?" she asked, looking at Addison. She had Mark's eyes, but everything else about her was pure Addison.

"One or two?" she asked as she began to comb out her daughter's curly hair.

"Two. Can I play with Sofia this time? She was too little to play last time I was there."

"I heard she's bigger now, so it's a possibility. We'll have to ask Callie and Arizona and Daddy first, though."

It had been a while since they had been up to Seattle. Addison flew up to deliver Sofia while Ella stayed with Amelia in Los Angeles. They returned about a week before Sofia and Callie were released from the hospital, and again around the holidays, and Mark had made a few trips to Los Angeles since then.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Addison had loaded their luggage into the trunk of her small car and helped Ella get strapped into her booster seat. As she drove through the city to the airport, Addison and Ella talked about what she was going to ask Mark to do this weekend. By the time they arrived at the parking structure, Ella was excited about the prospect of ferryboat rides and visiting the Space Needle.<p>

By some miracle, there were hardly any lines at the airline counter to check their bags or for security. As they were waiting by the gate for their flight to board, Ella looked up from her coloring book. "Is Sloan going to be there this year? Daddy is her daddy, too, but she's never there for Father's Day."

Ella had briefly met Sloan a few years ago when Mark brought her to LA for Addison to operate on her son, and hadn't really had any contact with Mark or Ella since after he was born, Ella knew she had an older sister and constantly asked about her during her time with Mark. "I don't think so, sweetie. Sloan's mom didn't tell Daddy about her until right before she was in the hospital here. Sloan doesn't talk to Daddy as much as you do. I think it's almost time to get on the plane. Do you have to go potty before?" Addison asked, changing the subject.

* * *

><p>After a trip to the restroom, it was time to board the plane. Even though it frequently resulted in dirty looks from their fellow passengers, Addison didn't let the fact that she had a six-year-old stop her from travelling first class. Ella was well behaved and enjoyed flying. Addison purposely let Ella stay up late the night before they flew anywhere in hopes that she would sleep for at least part of the flight.<p>

"How long until we get there, Mom?" she asked as soon as the plane was in the air.

"About three hours, the same as always. Why don't you curl up and try to take a nap? It will help the time go faster. When you wake up, we can color and have a snack," suggested Addison as she wrapped her arm around her and pulled her closer to rest against her.

Two and a half hours later, Addison put down the book she had been reading when she felt Ella begin to stir from her sleep. "Hey sleepy head. How was your nap?"

"It was good. Are we there yet?"

"Look out the window and you tell me."

"I see the Space Needle. We're here!" she exclaimed as she plastered her face against the window to take in the city that was her second home.

* * *

><p>Soon after getting off the plane and gathering their luggage from baggage claim, Addison was steering her rental car through the streets of Seattle to the hospital. She had texted Mark when they landed and he said he was still at the hospital and they should come there.<p>

"Why are we at the hospital? You said we were going to Daddy's house," stated Ella from the backseat as Addison turned into the hospital parking lot instead of the apartment complex where Mark lived.

"Daddy's still at work, so we're going to surprise him. Also, Sofia is here with Callie and Arizona. Don't you want to see her? Let's go find them," Addison tried to make the hospital sound as exciting as possible for the moody six-year-old.


	2. Chapter 2

Addison wasn't even to the elevator when she heard someone calling her name. Looking up, she saw Alex Karev down the stairs. "What are you doing here? I haven't heard about any crazy OB patients that only you can handle. Hey, kid."

"Mark is still working, so he suggested we come here instead of sitting at his apartment. How's everything? I haven't talked to you in forever," Addison said after hugging him.

"Everything's great. I got the peds fellowship, so I'm staying here for at least two more years. So what are you up to while Ella's with Mark for the weekend? Do you wanna grab a drink and catch up? I've gotta go. Text me if you wanna do something," Alex said as his pager sounded.

"Let's go find Daddy," Addison said, taking her daughter's hand in her own.

* * *

><p>The two made their way to the surgical floor. Addison had texted Mark that they were at the hospital, but hadn't gotten a response and wondered if he had ended up in surgery in the hour and a half since their plane landed. Stepping off the elevator on the fourth floor, Addison immediately saw her daughter's father and let go of Ella's hand as she took off running towards him.<p>

"Daddy," she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him.

He bent down to give her a proper hug before picking her up and setting her on the counter of the nurse's station. "Hi, Miss Ella. Did you have a good flight? I want to hear about school. How was kindergarten? Are you excited about first grade?" Not only was it Father's Day weekend, it was also the first weekend since school had ended for the summer.

Addison stood back to let them have a few minutes before making her presence known. Noting a lull between Ella's stories, Addison stepped closer to her daughter. "Hi, Mark."

"Hi, Addie. Has she really been as good as she says?"

"She's been great. She was one of the only kids in her class that is already reading. I have her stuff down in the car. I'm staying at the Archfield, like usual. She's been asking about Sloan, though. I was thinking maybe you could try to call her for Ella. I never thought meeting her for an hour two years ago would make such an impact on her. I can hang out with her here until you get off. I'm just going to enjoy being in Seattle again and catch up with everyone, maybe try to get the Chief to let me do a surgery or two. The last one I did here was delivering Sofia," explained Addison.

"I just talked to Callie. She was picking Sofia up from the daycare and heading home. You guys can probably hang out with her until I get off, which should be about an hour. You can play with Sofia, Ella," Mark said as Addison lifted her off the counter.

"Bye, Daddy," Ella said as she and Addison headed towards the daycare to find Callie and Sofia.

* * *

><p>Callie and Addison made their way to the apartment building with their girls and Callie couldn't help but laugh as Addison tried to carry Ella's suitcase, backpack, and booster seat into the building. Even though she had been asked to carry her own backpack, Ella was too excited to be able to play with her little sister and just wanted to get inside.<p>

After setting everything inside the door of Callie and Arizona's apartment, Addison told Ella to behave and followed Callie into the kitchen. "Karev asked me if I wanted to get a drink later."

"Don't tell me you're thinking about going. Mark is taking Sofia for the weekend. You can stay here, we'll have a girls' weekend," persuaded Callie.

"That sounds fun, but I'm seriously considering going," Addison paused, glancing to see if Ella was in the room before continuing, "It's been a long time for me, too long. I need to get laid. Do you have any clue how hard it is to have a relationship with anyone once they find out you have a six-year-old at home and you live with your ex-sister-in-law."

"Addie, you can't be serious. There are ways besides Alex Karev. I admit, he was good, but don't go there."

"Wait, you went there? When? I know how good he is. I went there before I left five years ago."

"It was when he was an intern, before I met George. It was a one-time thing, after we finished a really intense surgery."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Callie didn't even get up to see who was before calling out, "You can come in Mark."

"Are my girls ready for their weekend? I see Ella travels like her mother, not lightly," joked Mark as he picked up the suitcase.

"Haha, Mark. You should have seen the pile of stuff she wanted to bring that I made her leave at home. She's playing with Sofia in her room."

"I haven't gotten anything together for Sofia for the weekend. I'll go get what you might need," Callie said, leaving Addison and Mark alone.


	3. Chapter 3

"She doesn't have any weird food allergies or anything you haven't told me about, does she?" Mark asked, unsure of what to talk to Addison about.

"No. She definitely has your appetite and eats pretty much anything. She's been on a taco kick lately, so maybe try to get her to eat something besides tacos for three days. Are we really going to make awkward conversation while we wait for Callie to corral the girls to your apartment for the weekend?"

"I just never know what's okay to ask you about. I know we tried a relationship and we ended up together when I was in LA with Sloan, but what does that make us? I mean, I know we're parents to a great kid, but are we friends? I know there are things about your life that you don't tell me, but I'm sure you hear about a lot of my life from Callie."

"We have a daughter together, Mark. We will be together forever because of that. I'd consider us to be friends still. We just don't sleep together anymore. There are times I wish I hadn't broken up my marriage to Derek by sleeping with you, then I look at Ella and think it was the best thing I ever did. All I've heard from Callie is that you're back with Lexie after she told you that you needed to sleep with someone and went out with someone from Seattle Pres for a week. From what I've heard, Lexie's great with Sofia, so I'm expecting her to be just as great with Ella," stated Addison as Ella entered the room. "Have a good weekend with Daddy. You shouldn't need to because he's awesome and Lexie is too, but you can always call me if you need anything."

"I'll be fine. We're gonna have so much fun this weekend, right Daddy?" she said, giving Mark a look that she knew got him to do whatever she wanted. The look didn't work on Addison anymore, so it was now reserved for Mark.

* * *

><p>Mark made Ella carry her backpack and booster seat across the hallway to his apartment as he maneuvered her suitcase, the bag of Sofia's things, and Sofia. Mark had set up a room for Ella in his apartment as soon as he moved in. Once Sofia was born, a crib was added to the room. Ella dropped her things in the middle of the living room and started towards her room.<p>

"Get back here and take your stuff to your room. Then you can play," Mark said, stopping the six-year-old as she had her hand on the doorknob. Before Sofia was born, Mark was really bad about getting his daughter everything she wanted and she had an assortment of toys that lived in Seattle. He left her to explore her room, which she hadn't seen in several months and many of Sofia's toys had been added to the collection in the room. After a little while, he stuck his head in the room and knocked lightly. "What do you want for dinner? We can go out or I can make us something. It's up to you."

"I want pizza. I only get pizza when Aunt 'Melia makes dinner; Mommy makes real food and says pizza is emergency food and we shouldn't have it all the time," explained Ella.

"Sounds like a plan. Besides, it's our weekend together. Mommy won't care what we eat as long as I don't let you only eat ice cream. What do you want on your pizza? It can be here in half an hour."

* * *

><p>As Mark and Ella debated what kind of pizza they wanted, Callie and Addison continued catching up on the past few months of their lives. "So, have you and Arizona talked about having more kids? I know Sofia didn't really come how you expected, with Mark being her father or her delivery."<p>

"We haven't really talked about it. I'm kind of scared to bring up more kids since Arizona never really wanted kids and I pressured her. I was just lucky that she loved me enough to see past the fact that I slept with Mark while she was in Africa. After we heard her heartbeat the first time, there was no question that Arizona was Sofia's mom. She's just so scared of being the parent of a kid in the hospital," shared Callie.

"Just talk to her, or I will. I'm a baby doctor. I'm always talking to people about having babies," Addison said as her phone chimed.

"Can't Mark handle both his daughters at the same time?" Callie jokingly asked.

"It's not Mark. I have to make a phone call. I'll call you later, okay?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you want to meet at Joe's? I don't care, but won't your friends be there and make a big deal about us having a drink together?" Addison said into her phone as she made her way to her rental car in the parking lot.

* * *

><p>Addison had been hoping to avoid Joe's, but was also glad she had been invited. The bar held so many memories, both good and bad, and she wasn't sure what of those memories would come up being back there. She entered the dimly lit room and scanned the crowd before she saw Alex Karev sitting at a table with Cristina and two people she didn't know, but had seen around the hospital.<p>

"Dr. Montgomery. What are you doing here?" Cristina asked.

"It's Ella's weekend with Mark. I just dropped her off over there and thought I'd stop by for a drink before calling it a night. I don't really know anyone here, mind if I join you guys?"

"Uh, I guess," stated a rather confused Dr. Yang.

Alex quickly finished his beer before saying anything. "I'm gonna go get another drink. Can I get you one, Dr. Montgomery?"

"That'd be great. Thanks Alex," she said as she followed him over to the bar. "So you gonna ditch your friends for me? You were the one who invited me. Trust me, I didn't come just to sit in a bar with Yang and two other residents I don't know," Addison was more than pissed off.

"You know, it worked five years ago to get you upset. That on-call room was pretty amazing. They know I won't be coming back to their table. Now, we can either sit here or we can go somewhere where we aren't being watched by everyone."

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, they were in Addison's hotel room. "Alex, I hope you aren't planning on just hooking up with me and leaving. I wanna hear about peds. I heard about your Africa kids. I always knew you'd be good with kids, still wish you had stuck with OB after I left."<p>

"There was no reason to stick with OB. My teacher was gone and I had no interest in learning from the new OB attending. Arizona is a great teacher, though. How's LA? How's Ella?"

* * *

><p>"You had your pizza. Now, it's time for a bath and bed. We're going to the Space Needle tomorrow. Do you know that I've lived in Seattle for six years and I've never been there? We can try calling Sloan in the morning, too. Lexie is working tonight, but she really wants to come with us. Can you handle a bath by yourself or do you need me in there?"<p>

"I'm a big girl. I take baths by myself. Can we read after my bath?"

"Sure. I'm gonna put Sofia to bed. Just holler if you need anything," Mark said as he lifted Sofia from the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel.

After Ella was out of the bathtub and in her pajamas, she pulled a book from her backpack and handed it to Mark. "Do I have to go home on Sunday? I'm off school for the summer, can't I stay here for longer? I miss you when I'm not here."

"That's a question for your mom, kiddo. I'd love if you could stay longer, but you'd have to be in daycare or with a babysitter while I'm working and I work a lot. We can talk to your mom about it more tomorrow. Now what book did you pick for us?" Mark asked as his daughter snuggled in next to him on the couch and handed him a book she had brought with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Alex's pager went off at 5am the next morning, waking him from the sleep he fell into just a few hours prior. As he tried to wake up enough to focus on the pager, Addison rolled over and wrapped her arm around him to prevent him from leaving. "Do you have to go? Isn't there an intern that can take care of it?"

"I'd love to stay, but I really have to go. I've been through too much with this kid. He has no one; he's been in the system since he was born. I'll call you later."

* * *

><p>Quietly, Lexie let herself in the apartment she had basically been living in for the past month and tiptoed to the master bedroom after slipping her shoes off. She knew two of Mark's three daughters were also in the apartment, so she climbed into bed and got comfortable to try to catch at least a few hours of sleep before needing to be up to spend the day with Mark and the girls.<p>

What felt like twenty minutes later, Lexie was woken up by someone climbing over her on the bed. "Not now, Mark. I just want to sleep right now."

"It's not Daddy. It's me," said a small voice who was snuggling in between the two adults in the bed.

"What time did you get home? I never heard you come in," Mark asked as he helped Ella crawl under the blankets.

"A little after five. I just want to get a few hours of sleep before we go out."

Rolling over to look at the clock next to the bed, Mark stated, "It's eight-thirty. I'll get the girls ready and bring you some coffee. We probably won't leave for another hour and a half. Come on, Ella. Let's get Sof up and find something for breakfast."

Mark made the girls some oatmeal and got them situated at the table before bringing a cup of coffee into the bedroom and setting it down on the table next to Lexie's side of the bed. "How was work last night? The girls and I missed you."

Laying on her side and propping herself up on her elbow, Lexie took the cup of coffee and answered, "It was work. No surgeries. I ran into April as I was leaving and she asked if Alex had been at the hospital all night before Jackson told her he saw him leaving Joe's with a tall redhead. He went back to Addison's hotel with her. They don't really know who she is, so they weren't able to figure it all out."

"Addison and I are just friends. If Karev makes her happy, fine, but if her hurts her, I'll have to hurt him. You might want to get ready, I don't think the girls are going to last much longer once they finish eating."

* * *

><p>As planned, Callie and Arizona met Addison outside the hotel for their girls' day. They had plans to get pedicures and do some shopping, as well as eat lunch by the water. Callie could tell as soon as Addison left the apartment the night before she was going to have a story to tell that day.<p>

"Please do not say you met Karev last night," was all Callie could say when she saw the doofy grin plastered across Addison's face. "I thought I told you not to."

"When have I ever listened to your advice? I went to Joe's and we ended up at my room. He had to leave early cuz he got paged."

"The last time you two slept together, you ran off to LA and no one except for Mark heard from you for almost a year. I don't want to lose my friend again and Ella will know something's going on. She's older now and she's a smart girl."

* * *

><p>Mark had gotten Sofia dressed for the day and was helping Ella pick an outfit. She was only there for two nights, but had brought almost a week's worth of clothes. "Can we call Sloan after I get dressed, Daddy? You said we can try calling her in the morning and it's the morning."<p>

"Yes. Get dressed and we will try to call her. I don't know that she'll answer, but we can try," Mark said as he closed the door to give his daughter some privacy after the picked an outfit.

As Mark was walking into the living room, holding Sofia's hand as she walked, when Lexie opened the bedroom door and lifted the one-year-old up. "How are you this morning, Sof?"

Sofia grabbed a lock of Lexie's hair and grinned, showing off the few teeth she had. "Do you have a diaper bag packed for her yet? I can get one together if you haven't. What's her toy of the day?"

"Callie put one together for me before I picked her up last night. She knew we were going out today. It just needs a couple of bottles, I didn't want to leave them in there in case they leaked or something. She's still attached to that weird lizard thing she got for her birthday. It was in her crib this morning," explained Mark.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexie made her way down the hallway to the girls' room. With Sloan, she was furious that Mark was choosing the newfound daughter over herself. Sofia was the reason they had broken up soon after getting back together. When she found out about Ella, her reaction was different, mainly because Mark was only actively in the young girl's life a few weekends a year. It was only during Ella's visit over the holidays that Lexie didn't switch shifts with the other residents so she could work the entire weekend and not avoid Mark's apartment for three days.

Stopping outside the door, she took a breath before knocking. She and Ella got along great, but she was still nervous whenever she was alone with the child. When she heard a response that she could come in, Lexie slowly opened the door.

"Hi, Lexie. Can you braid my hair? I asked Daddy, but he told me to ask you," the girl stated as she handed Lexie her brush.

"Sure. I think we need to teach your dad how to braid hair. Have you seen Sofia's orange lizard? Your dad wants us to bring it with us today," mentioned Lexie as she motioned for the six-year-old to sit on the floor in front of her.

As Lexie was combing out the red curls, the two talked about Ella's school and her life with Addison in Los Angeles. "Why did you never come over when I was here when I was little? I like you."

"I had to work a lot when you were little. I was also scared about hurting you if you got used to me always being around and then your dad and I broke up. You wouldn't understand why I wasn't around anymore, so I just didn't come around when you were here."

"Oh. Since Sofia's bringing her lizard, can I bring a toy, too?" she asked as Lexie patted her shoulder, indicating the braid was complete.

"Just one and you have to leave it in the car. I think you're a big girl and don't need to carry a toy all over Seattle. Let's find that lizard and go."

* * *

><p>After some much needed pampering, the Addison, Callie, and Arizona were wandering in and out of some of the quirky shops in one of Arizona's favorite parts of Seattle. "I don't care how much you beg me, nothing happened last night. We just talked and then he got paged."<p>

Giving each other a look, Callie and Arizona decided to drop it. They knew that if anything had happened the night before, it would eventually be making its way through the hallways of Seattle Grace.

* * *

><p>"I was thinking we could take a ferry ride, grab some lunch, and then check out the Space Needle. Start thinking about what you want for lunch, El," Mark said as he drove towards the ferry dock.<p>

"Tacos," she stated, not even looking away from whatever game she had created with Sofia.

"How about something else? Your mom said that's all you've been wanting lately and to try to get you to eat something else. Doesn't a hamburger sound good? I bet your mom doesn't make those very often," suggested Lexie. Mark had filled her in on Addison request to try to get her to eat something besides tacos for a few days.

"I guess. Are we there yet?"

* * *

><p>Walking through the corridor of the peds floor, Meredith was glad to see Alex standing at the nurses' station. She smacked his arm to get his attention. "Don't tell me you slept with Addison last night. I heard you left Joe's with her last night. I also know that you never came home and that you weren't here all night, either. She ran the last time you two slept together. I might not like Mark, but I don't want to see him hurt because she ran and took Ella with her just because you were horny."<p>

"Chill out. Yes, I left Joe's with her, but I got paged before anything happened. Just leave me alone. What I do with my life is none of your concern," Alex said before storming off.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm loving all the review I've been getting for this story. I've finished wiriting this story, there's 3 more chapters after this one. Don't worry, though, I think I'm gonna write a sequel to this one. Reviews are always appreciated. **

I'm gonna call your mom during lunch, kiddo. Ask her about what you asked me about last night," Mark said as they were making their way off the boat.

"What did she ask you?" questioned Lexie, who was pushing Sofia's stroller.

"She asked if she could stay with me longer. I told her it was a question for Addie, if Addie agrees, we'll have to change her return flight to later in the summer and I'll have to figure out if she's going to daycare or if I'm hiring a sitter for when I'm working."

"Oh. If Addison agrees, maybe we can talk to Callie and Arizona about watching her when they're off and we're working. Between the four of us, we shouldn't need a sitter or anything. At least one of us is off every day," Lexie suggested.

After ordering their burgers, Mark pulled out his cell. "Hey, Addie. It's me."

"Is everything alright, Mark? What's going on?" Addison immediately became worried. Mark had never called her in the middle of the weekend when he was with Ella.

"Everything's fine. Ella asked me something last night and it's fine with me, but I told her we'd have to talk to you about it first. She asked if she can stay longer. School's out for the summer, and she hasn't spent much time in Seattle. I can fly down to LA with her in a month or whenever she's ready to come home."

"I need some time to think about it, Mark. I know she loves being in Seattle, but her being here for the summer was never part of the agreement we came up with."

"I'll tell Ella. We're having lunch now, then going to the Space Needle. Do you think you can give us an answer in a few hours?"

"Maybe. I'll call you as soon as I've decided, don't try to force an answer before then."

"Just so you know, it was completely Ella's idea; I didn't pressure her into this at all. Just think about it. You can talk to her if you want."

"I'll let you know."

* * *

><p>"Mark wants Ella to spend the summer up here. Part of me wants to say yes, but I don't want her gone from me that long," Addison shared with her friends while they were also enjoying lunch.<p>

"Let her stay. We can check in on them every day and let you know she's fine. You had to have known that she would eventually get to the point where she wanted to spend more time with him. A weekend in Seattle with you hanging out down the street every few months and him spending a couple of days in Los Angeles in between just isn't enough for her anymore," Callie persuaded.

"He said that it was her idea. I don't know that I believe that. She loves living right on the beach, why would she give that up to spend the summer here?"

"Mark has done a lot of stupid things, but he's a great father to both Ella and Sofia. He wouldn't try to take her away from you. I wasn't here when you first moved, but from what I heard, he was completely supportive of you moving and was willing to agree with whatever custody arrangement you wanted. Maybe you should give him what he wants, even if it's just an extra week or two up here," Arizona suggested.

"She just wants more time with her dad. She's old enough to have a say in where she spends her time. I know eventually we aren't going to live across the hall from each other and we'll have to come up with some other custody arrangement for Sofia. It's a little easier for us because we at least live in the same city," pointed out Callie.

"Thanks, guys. It's a lot to consider. It was so much easier when she was little and didn't understand that her parents lived on opposite ends of the country."

* * *

><p>The events of the day tired out both Ella and Sofia, who didn't take a nap that afternoon. Both girls were passed out in the backseat of the car as Mark drove towards the apartment building. While he was waiting to turn into the parking lot, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID before answering, he told Lexie who it was.<p>

"Hi, Addison."


	8. Chapter 8

"Did you decide if she can stay longer?" Mark asked as he parked the car outside the door to the building.

"I think another week will be fine. I still have to head home tomorrow afternoon; I can call the airlines about changing her ticket to next weekend, but you'll have to bring her. I don't like the idea of her flying alone yet. Maybe in a few years, but not now," stated Addison.

"She'll be so happy to hear that. I'd offer to let you talk to her, but we just got home and she's passed out. When she wakes up, I'll have her call you. Let me know what flight it is and I'll book myself on that same flight. Can you try to book her on a morning one so I can fly back right away that same day?"

"Is is okay if I stop by before I go to the airport tomorrow? I think it's time the three of us sit down and figure out what she wants. She's old enough to have a say in who she wants to spend time with."

"Stop by around noon. You should still be able to get to the airport on time. I'm really glad this all worked out and I'll have Ella call as soon as she wakes up, which I expect to be as soon as we try to get her out of the car. Have a good night."

"You, too."

"And Addison?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Mark and Lexie climbed out of the car and opened the backdoors of their respective sides of the car. As Mark struggled to get Ella out of the car, Lexie wasted no time lifting Sofia from her car seat and was halfway to the door before she heard the car door close.

* * *

><p>Much like Mark suspected, his six-year-old daughter woke up once she was out of the car, but still insisted Mark carry her into the building. While they were standing in the elevator, he decided to share his conversation with Addison. "I talked to your mom, Ella-Bella. She said you can stay for another week. I'll fly back to LA with you next weekend, but I won't be able to stay. I'm gonna get you there and she'll pick you up at the airport. I'm going to be on a plane back right away. Your mom is going to come over before she leaves tomorrow. We have some stuff we need to talk about."<p>

"Yay! Am I going to have to go to daycare this week? I don't care if I do. I always had fun in daycare at home."

"We have to talk about that tonight," Lexie said. "Do you want to call your mom when we get inside?"

Ella spoke with Addison for a few minutes before deciding they had talked long enough and she wanted to play. There were times Ella was mature for her age, but there were plenty of moments where she was a typical six-year-old.

Mark couldn't help but smile when he stopped outside his daughters' bedroom and heard them laughing at whatever Lexie was doing. She insisted on putting them to bed for the night and Mark was just going to say good night, but decided to wait a few more minutes to see what was going on.

"Are you ready for bed? I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted after today. You're gonna let us sleep in tomorrow, right?" he asked, looking between both girls. "I think Lexie's going to read you a story, I just wanted to get my goodnight kisses from my two favorite girls."

Lexie loved seeing Mark with them and couldn't help but think about the day they had a baby together. It wasn't something they had talked about, but it was something she was feeling ready to talk about.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes after Mark said goodnight, Lexie was finally able to get both girls to stay in their beds long enough to doze off. When she felt it was safe, she quietly snuck out of the room and into the living room, where Mark was watching a baseball game.<p>

"I work tomorrow, but you're off, so Ella isn't a problem. I'm off again Wednesday and Thursday, so I can watch her then. Are you flying back with her on Saturday or Sunday?" Lexie asked as she snuggled next to Mark.

"Addison rebooked her on the Sunday morning flight. I should be back around seven Sunday night. I'm getting off the plane, handing her off to Addison at security and getting on a plane back about an hour later. I'm obviously off Sunday, but I'm also off Friday."

"That just leaves three days we need to figure out if she's going to daycare or we're getting a sitter or asking if one of our friends can watch her," pointed out Lexie.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Lexie left for work around 6 and Mark was able to sleep until 8 before his youngest daughter called for him from the next room. Groaning, he pulled himself out of bed and made his way towards the second bedroom.

"I thought you were going to let me sleep in this morning," he stated as he lifted Sofia from the crib and laid her on the changing table to give her a new diaper. After changing her, he set her on the foot of Ella's bed. "Do you want to wake your big sister up? She's here for another week, so you'll get to play with her a lot."

Ella burrowed deeper into her bed as Sofia started to poke her, laughing at her older sister's reaction. "You wanna wake up, kiddo. I learned how to make French toast since the last time you were here. I could make some if you get up. Your mom is coming over after breakfast," persuaded Mark.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Mark had successfully made French toast for himself and his daughters. He had also gotten them dressed and the three of them were playing when there was a knock on the door. Mark opened the door and found Addison on the other side.<p>

"Dad, come back. We need you," called Ella from the living room.

Laughing at the disheveled state of the apartment, Addison joked, "Aren't you just Mr. Mom. Ella, did you have a good weekend?"

"Hi, Mommy. We're playing. I'll see you next week."

"I need to talk to your mom about stuff, El. Can you guys go play in your room for a little while?" Mark asked as he motioned to the couch, suggesting Addison take a seat.

* * *

><p>Waiting until Ella helped Sofia down the hallway, Addison started. "She's really good with Sofia, isn't she?"<p>

"Yeah, they're great together. We need to come up with some other custody arrangement. She's old enough to state that she wants to spend more time with me. It's not fair to her to keep her from me. Ella loves Sofia and she wants to spend more time with her little sister. I don't have a clue how to be a full-time father to her, but Lexie's willing to help and I'll figure something out for childcare while I'm working."

"You're right; she does deserve to spend more time with you and with Sofia. I spent a lot of time yesterday after you first called me, thinking about what to do and talking to Arizona and Callie about it. Ella's going to spend the next week with you. When she comes home, she and I are going to pack our stuff," Addison paused.

"You can't take her further away from me. If you're moving back to New York, I will fight you for her. I want this to stay civil for her sake, but I will fight you to see her more."

"Calm down, Mark. I talked to Dr. Hunt before I called you back. Since Dr. Fields left for Africa, he's been short an OB. I'm moving back to Seattle. I'm starting August first. We'll be back about a month after you bring her to LA. I need a few weeks here to find a place and set Ella up with daycare and find her a good school before I start work."

"Didn't you just say a few days ago that everything she knows, her whole life is in LA and you don't want to uproot her right now?" pointed out Mark.

"That was before I talked to my friends here. I also talked to Amelia. She said growing up without a father sucks, but she's sure that only seeing your father for a few days every couple of months is worse. I know you're going to want to tell Ella right away, but please let me tell her after she comes home next week," asked Addison.

"I can do that. You know I'm going to tell Lexie before then, right? She should know as soon as possible that Ella's going to be a much bigger part of our lives. I don't want to lose her again because of one of my kids. Ella's the only one that hasn't caused her to leave me."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: You guys are amazing with all the reviews. Thank you! Sadly, this is the last chapter of this story. I actually have 14 chapters of a sequel to it already written. I was going to keep continuing this story, but decided it would be better as a separate story. Be on the look out for that one in the next week or so.**

* * *

><p>By the time Lexie entered the apartment that night, Ella was asleep on the couch and Arizona had picked Sofia up an hour earlier. "Did she just fall asleep and you didn't have the heart to move her?"<p>

"Yeah. I was going to move her before you got home, but you're home sooner than I thought you would be. I'll put her to bed and be right back," Mark said as he started to pick up the lanky girl after kissing his girlfriend. A few minutes later, he stuck his head in the master bedroom and found Lexie standing in front of the mirror.

"How'd it go with Addison this morning? I was expecting to hear from you earlier, but figured you were too busy with the girls to call."

"It went differently than I expected. She started by telling me that as soon as Ella is back in LA, they're packing their stuff. This caused me to freak and say that I will fight her for custody if I need to. I thought she was moving to New York again. Apparently she talked to Hunt and is moving back to Seattle. The hospital needs another OB and it would give Ella more time with me. They're moving back up here in about a month," he shared as Lexie made herself comfortable on the bed.

"Wow. That was not how I was expecting all of this to turn out."

Mark laid on the bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I knew this was going to be a lot for you. I wanted to tell you sooner, but Addison asked that I not tell Ella. She wants to when she gets home next week. This is progress, though. You haven't stormed out on me, yet."

"I can handle this. I always knew that you came with Ella. Sofia and Sloan were different. I always knew about Ella, she wasn't a surprise to me. You know what this means?"

"What does this mean?"

Lexie took a deep breath and paused before continuing. "We're going to need a bigger place."

"We're fine here. Lots of kids have to share rooms, it's not like we're going to have both Ella and Sofia at the same time very often. I think this weekend went pretty well with both of them."

"Seeing you with both of them yesterday got me thinking about how much I love you when you're with your kids. It made me realize how much I want to have a baby with you. I was talking to Meredith about this during lunch today. She pointed out some stuff that I hadn't noticed. After lunch, I took a test that confirmed Mer's suspicions," Lexie paused again, waiting to see if Mark was following where she was going with all of this. "I'm pregnant, Mark."

Mark rolled over and laid quietly for a moment before saying anything, much like when Callie told him she was pregnant almost two years earlier. "You're right. We're going to need a bigger place. I know you said before that you weren't ready for a baby, but does this mean you're ready? I'll support you if you're not."

"That was almost four years ago that I said I wasn't ready for a baby with you. I'm older and I'm ready for this. The best I can figure, I'm about five weeks pregnant. We've got plenty of time to figure this all out. Just so you know, I'm freaking out right now."


End file.
